Thomas J. Mesich
Era: World War II
Military Branch: Army
Thomas J. Mesich entered the Army on January 18, 1944, at Fort Snelling, Minnesota. Home at entry: Hibbing, Minnesota. He served as a Technician Third Grade and telephone / telegraph lineman with the 3360th and 3367th Signal Service Battalion in the Pacific Theater.
11 March 1944-09 January 1945, Camp Crowder, Missouri-Assigned to the Signal Corp. Training consisted of work required to installing rhombic antennas and transmission lines. Erecting 30', 60', and 90' wood poles, experience climbing poles with boot spurs and splicing 60' pole to the top of a 90' pole. Erecting self-supporting steel towers ranging in height 125' and guyed off towers ranging in height from 73' to 180'. Part of the work required for airplane directional finders at airports.
10 January-13 June 1945, Headquarters 3360th Signal Service Battalion, Army Communications Service, Plant Engineering Agency, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (shipyard) 3621 Signal Equipment Installation Detachment. Continued training.
14 June 1945, Troop train to Camp Riverside, California.
26 June-31 July 1945, Troopship from Los Angeles to Calcutta, India, with one day stop in Fremantle, Australia. In enemy waters, the ship zigzagged to Calcutta. Naval personnel shot and destroyed a floating mine.
31 July-01 November 1945, Kragpour, India, 3621st SEID. Three months in India were spent in idle mode ever since the U.S. Engola Gay dropped atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki in early part of August. The U.S. military plan was to invade Japan from China. Our signal group was scheduled to fly over the Himalaya Mountains (Hump) into China at set up radio control direction finders at new airports. Without a doubt, the A-bombs saved our lives and many more U.S. and Japanese.
01 November 1945, Left India aboard a C-54 commercial airplane at Calcutta Airport and flew to Kunming, China. At dusk we flew to Manila, Philippines and arrived at day break.
02 November 1945, Started the occupation stay at Manicani Islands (south of Manila). We were temporarily stationed with the Navy. Island about one mile in diameter. Went to Manila and Corridor to look after the war.
November 1945, 3621st was assigned to 3367th Signal Service Battalion and was given an occupational site in northern Luzon near the city of Laoag. The trip from Manila to Laoag was made with a 6X6 truck and was quite cumbersome as the roads in places were impassable and all the bridges over the rivers were destroyed. We forded several rivers on bamboo rafts manned by the Filipino work force. We were tenting near an airport, which had many destroyed Japanese planes.
11-13 January 1946, Several GI's and I hitched a ride on a C-46 cargo plane carrying a jeep en route to Tokyo. The pilot gave a birds eye view of Nagasaki and Hiroshima-complete devastation. Saw a nice view of Mt. Fujiyama. We also circled Tokyo several times and saw all the destruction that our B-29s did. These were enemy skies 6 months previous. Walked the streets of Tokyo and witnessed block after block devoid of any building material. Our Air Force did accurate bombing to save the Shrines and out coalition embassy buildings.
10 April 1946, Orders for departure home first to Manila on a C-53 and prepared to board a troop ship home.
13-27 April 1946, Fourteen days on troop ship USS Heintzelman from Manila to Camp Stoneman, California. Crossed the180th Meridian twice.
Mr. Mesich was awarded the following: Good Conduct Medal, American Theater Service Medal, Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal, and one overseas service bar.
He was honorably discharged on May 4, 1946, at Camp McCoy, Wisconsin.
Source: Hometown Heroes: The Saint Louis County World War II Project, page 360.
